Regular Home Maintenance is Key

You LOVE where you live & inspecting your home on a regular basis and following good maintenance practices are the best way to protect your investment in your home. Establish a routine for yourself, and you will find the work is easy to accomplish and not very time-consuming. A regular schedule of seasonal maintenance can put a stop to the most common — and costly — problems, before they occur. If necessary, use a camera to take pictures of anything you might want to share with an expert for advice or to monitor or remind you of a situation later. By following the information noted here, you will learn about protecting your investment and how to help keep your home a safe and healthy place to live. If you do not feel comfortable performing some of the home maintenance tasks listed below, or do not have the necessary equipment, you may want to consider hiring a qualified handy-person. 

Summer brings to mind barbeques, parties, sun and fun. It’s also the perfect time to tackle all kinds of maintenance jobs around your home. Before you kick back and enjoy the season, here are 5 quick and easy tips summer maintenance tips to keep your house in tip top shape.

Prevent accidents and keep your property safe this summer. Inspect your yard and fix anything that may not be safe or could cause accidents. This includes: 

• resetting pavers to prevent tripping
• staining or repainting your deck
• repairing cracks in your driveway 
• fixing any steps or supporting structures  

Inspect the condition of your roof. Using binoculars enables you to stay on the ground for this inspection. Look for:  

• sagging that could indicate structural problems requiring further investigation from inside the attic
• any shingles that need repair or replacement
• signs of cracking, leakage, split or damaged sealants around the roof flashings, chimney and roof joints 
• damage on the chimney cap and the caulking between the cap and the chimney. 

Hire a professional home inspector or roofing contractor if you find anything of concern.

Examine the condition of weather-stripping and caulking around windows and doors. Be sure to check your outside vents at the same time.  This inspection should include:

• cleaning and dusting the debris off the tracks of sliding doors and windows
• ensuring the hardware and other operating parts between the opening unit and the outside frame are operating properly
• checking the flappers and protective mesh on exhaust vents aren’t blocked
• removing lint build up from your dryer vent  

Professionally clean the outdoor unit of your central air conditioner at the start of the season. The servicing should include:

• checking and/or adjusting the refrigerant levels, compressor, fan-motor and controls
• vacuuming the heat exchange grilles to remove debris
• cleaning or replacing your furnace filter

Check your basement pipes for condensation or dripping. We recommend monitoring your basement for humidity and avoid relative humidity levels above 60%. Use a dehumidifier to maintain lower relative humidity levels if the moisture levels are too high. Running your air conditioner can also help. 

Once you’ve got your routine down, regular home maintenance will be a breeze. One last bonus tip, don’t forget to change the batteries in your fire alarms.